Lehman and Langer win wild playoff

Golf Betting Lines

04/26/2009 - Savannah, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tom Lehman rolled in a three-foot par putt on the second playoff hole Sunday to give himself and Bernhard Langer the victory at the Legends of Golf.

Lehman, who became the 13th player in Champions Tour history to win his debut, and Langer defeated Craig Stadler and Jeff Sluman in a bizarre sudden-death playoff.

After a pair of long birdie putts forced a second extra hole, no one made birdie on the 18th hole at The Westin Savannah Harbor Resort and Spa. All four players had short par putts, but they looked easier than they were.

Stadler was first and missed from seven feet for par. Langer had five feet to apply the pressure to Sluman, but the German also missed his easy par-saving putt.

Their partners had very short par putts to extend the playoff and Sluman was up first. His four-footer never even touched the hole and now Lehman had three feet for the victory.

The rookie on the elder circuit made his putt for the win.

Lehman and Langer combined for a 10-under 62 on Sunday, while Stadler and Sluman fired an 11-under 61. The teams finished regulation at 27-under-par 189.

Both playoff-bound teams were in the clubhouse waiting to see if the pairings of Loren Roberts and Mark Wiebe or John Cook and Joey Sindelar would join them.

Cook and Wiebe both missed birdie tries on 17 and neither team had great looks at 18. Both sides made pars, setting the stage for the sudden-death playoff.

On 18 in the first playoff hole, neither team appeared to be in good shape to make birdie. If one of the squads did, it would be the result of a long birdie putt.

That's exactly what happened.

Langer, the tour's leading money winner, sank a 35-footer for birdie and did some sort of awkward chest bump/handshake with Lehman. Any celebration would be premature and that was because Stadler made a putt of similar length from a similar spot.

Stadler and Sluman settled for a fist bump and everyone was back to the 18th tee.

The putting contest was survived by Lehman.

"I had a great partner," said Lehman. "Bernhard played extremely well today. I was really proud of the way he hit the ball. We've had a lot of fun. It's been a good week."

Roberts/Wiebe (65) and Cook/Sindelar (64) shared third at minus-26.

Tom Kite and Gil Morgan and Des Smyth and Mark James both shot rounds of 10- under 62 and tied for fifth at 24-under 192.

Andy Bean and Jerry Pate shot a nine-under 63 and tied for seventh with Mark O'Meara and Nick Price, who combined for a six-under 66. Those teams finished at 24-under 193.

Fred Funk and Scott Hoch (63) and John Jacobs and Fuzzy Zoeller (66) finished knotted in ninth at 22-under 194, which was one stroke better than last year's winners Andy North and Tom Watson.

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MySportsbook.com and Kentucky Derby Offer Bonuses
The 2008 Kentucky Derby has announced a $1-million bonus for this weekend’s 134th ‘Run for the Roses’ and MySportsbook.com is doing the same.

Well, not quite $1 million, but MySportsbook.com is offering a 75% rebate for Kentucky Derby lines. Check out the exclusive horse racing bonus for all the details.

According to MySportsbook.com, the favorites for Saturday’s Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky are: Curlin (+250); Street Sense (+500); Scat Daddy (+700); Circular Quay (+750); and Nobiz Like Shobiz (+800).

Derby organizers announced this week that there will be a $1-million bonus at the 2007 Kentucky Derby odds if the first-place horse wins by more than 6 1/2 lengths – the margin of Barbaro's victory last year. The bonus would be divided Saturday among the winning trainer, jockey, owner and a charity, with each receiving 25 percent. The designated charity is the Barbaro Memorial Fund.

''It's certainly creative, it's certainly fun and it has something for the horsemen, which we always want to embrace,'' Churchill Downs president and chief executive Robert Evans said at a news conference. ''What's really cool is it will force us to remember Barbaro.''
    
Meanwhile, the Derby favorite – Curlin – is going against the odds this year. It's been 125 years since Apollo won after skipping his 2-year-old season, and not since Regret in 1915 has such a lightly seasoned horse worn the blanket of red roses.

Arkansas Derby winner Curlin – unbeaten in three career races – tries to overcome both those obstacles in Saturday's 133rd Derby.

''We're not running against history,'' trainer Steve Asmussen said Monday. ''We're running against who they load up.''

Six other horses have run in the Derby without benefit of 2-year-old races and with three or fewer starts. The best any of them managed was a sixth-place finish by Showing Up last year.
   
Asmussen dismissed suggestions that Curlin's lack of racing experience could keep him from the winner's circle.

”He exudes confidence and he's got a great presence about him,'' the trainer said. ''I feel great about the position we're in. He's not worried about anything, why should you be?''
   
The Kentucky Derby is at 4:04 p.m., ET Saturday.

For complete odds on the Kentucky Derby, visit MySportsbook.com. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.